By: Simone Castello

He’s just not that into you – a cute movie… in theory.
I caught the much anticipated chick flick with one of my girlfriends on Sunday night, and I must say – I was pretty disappointed. I was under the impression that if a movie’s release date kept getting pushed back, they were probably working on making it better. This wasn’t the case with the book turned movie, produced by Drew Barrymore.
The creators try to stay true to the book (which I own), by noting a few of the rules as the movie progresses. For instance, after one of the main characters spends weeks waiting for a guy she went on ONE date with to call her back, the movie breaks to black with the words “If he doesn’t call you (he’s just not that into you)” plastered across the screen. This helps tie the story together.

I must admit that I watched hopefully as the movie moved through the initial plot setup… girl meets boy; girl falls for boy; boy ignores girl; girl does all the things she shouldn’t do to get guy back. Things took a turn for the worse after this point. The creators, looking for an ending, started depending on every cliche out there as crutches for the story (read: boy misses girl after she gets upset and gives up on him; boy realizes he loves girl; boy goes to girl and professes his love). Somehow I didn’t get that ooey-gooey mushy feeling that comes with most chick-flicks when the “happily ever after” part happens. It seemed… forced in this instance.

Though there were a lot of parallel storylines that ran alongside the main one, a saving grace stemmed from Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck’s portrayal of a couple in the seventh year of their relationship. For once Aniston and Affleck were given roles that didn’t involve slapstick humour, but rather, ones that focused on a poignant issue that most couples in long-term relationships face – whether to take the plunge and get married, or enjoy the comfort of co-existing without the legalities.
I must admit however, that I’ve never watched a movie in a theatre where the audience chattered so much. The entire audience, at one point or another found something in the movie they were able to relate to – whether through the actions of one character in particular, or a storyline itself.
Overall, I’d give this movie 3.5/5 curls.